Bread Crumbs
by Sarah the mutant farm girl
Summary: When Autumn takes off to find a demon who preys on little girls similar to her nieces, the gang is forced to follow her bread crumbs to find her before its too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Bread Crumbs**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. **

**Summary: When Autumn takes off to find a demon who preys on little girls similar to her nieces, the gang is forced to follow her bread crumbs to find her before its too late.**

**A/N: Yes, it IS short. I'm sorry. But I wanted to get something up. I'll start chapter two tonight and can someone please beat me into submission? I'm supposed to be reading Breaking Dawn not writing. BLARG overly "romantic" vampires make my mind all mushy. I can't complain much about Bella since I'm told I act just like her hides newest injury from klutz attack...I burned myself yesterday on a slow cooker when I WALKED by it and fell into it.**

**Chapter One**

"Autumn?" Dean asked nervously. He knew it would be her but hoped Sam was wrong about what she wanted.

"Hey, babe. I've got a hunt. I'm e-mailing the details now. Its a demon, Dean." Autumn told him in a rush. They both knew she was just trying to get it all out so she could hang up.

"What kind?" Dean questioned.

"The kind that eats little girls for breakfast." Autumn answered and he knew then why she was in such a hurry to get on with this.

"Sit still. We'll head back tonight." Dean instructed.

"I'm packed. Dean, I'm going to get a head start. I'll stop tomorrow afternoon get a room for the night let John stretch his legs. But I want to get there as soon as I can. I won't drag my feet too much." Dean looked over his shoulder, Sam was dozing in and out in the back seat. He'd had a rough day, Athena was twisting her hands in the passenger seat.

"Aut," he started not sure what else to say. He wasn't yet reduced to begging. But the idea of her heading out on a demon hunt on her own made that a very easy road to take. "Please, wait for us. We'll be in tomorrow afternoon and can leave soon as we get there."

"Okay." She agreed and they both knew she was lying.

"Be careful, Autumn." He bid. She'd hang up in a few seconds and a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach told him it was likely to be the last time he ever talked to her.

"I always am, Dean. I'll see you soon." she promised. There was a moment of silence and then she cut the line. Athena had been watching him and was more than ready to burst with all her questions. Dean though had never been one to just blurt out information and if he were pressed sarcasm was his first resort.

"She's not waiting. Soon as we get to the motel you need to pack your shit and be ready to roll." He told her after a little while.

Sam was listening to them intently. His head made it very tempting to curl up and go to sleep. He really didn't need his eyes open to know what they were doing anyway. He knew them both well enough to know that Athena had her hands in her lap wringing them so much it was a minor miracle she didn't break her fingers. Dean had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel, for once actually having both hands at 10 and 2. His jaw was set with determination as thought raced through his mind. They were both waiting until the right moment to ask him what he'd seen. Sam was putting off telling them what his vision was. It was bad enough he had to see it. He couldn't tell them he'd seen Autumn killing a child. He couldn't tell them what she did after that either. Her own knife, a blade they all knew well, plunging into her breast. Yeah that was going to be the easiest thing to tell them. He rolled his eyes under closed lids.

Dean turned sharp into the parking lot and the car was barely off before the two hunters in the front of the car were out. Athena darted into her room a flash of blond hair. Dean waited a moment on Sam to get out and once sure his brother was steady and could walk on his own was off into their room. The three of them packed in a rush. It wasn't a half hour before they were back in their seats in the Impala. Though Sam's head ache had tripled in severity from Dean's impatient barking of orders. There were times he was so like his father it was hard to tell which was which.

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Autumn tossed the last of her things in the trunk of her '65 Mustang. She went over the mental checklist. Weapons. Holy water. Dog food. Map. Clothes. She reached down and scratched John behind the ears. They were set all she had left to do now was tell Darcy and Marc she was on her way out. She went around to the front of the big house to avoid the bar where Will and Lily were probably mid-gropefest. There were a few things in life she didn't want to see and that was one of them. She knew the younger two would either be in one of their rooms researching while bitching and moaning about her course of action or in the library. The library being more public and therefor possessing more people to tell her she shouldn't go was put off to last and she headed for Marc's room. No one was home. So she slipped down the hall, "Johnny-boy where are they?" She wondered aloud. The rottwieler bound ahead pushing the next door open with his big block head.

"John!" Marc's scolding voice wafted out to her and Autumn followed after her dog. "Why did you teach him to open doors?" He asked her soon as she came in.

"Will did that, not me. It can be rather helpful though." the red head shrugged. Darcy was sitting in the middle of her bed parts of her guns scattered over the quilt as she cleaned it. Marc was at the desk by the door reading over the notes for the demon, she was about to go after, for the millionth time.

"You're ready to go?" Darcy asked. Autumn met her gaze for a split second before nodding.

"Yeah, you wanted me to stop in before I left."

"Why don't you just go ahead and stay the night?" Marc prompted. "You could head out bright and early tomorrow and not have to worry about messing with your sleeping pattern."

"I'd rather go now, Marc."

"Before she second guesses herself and waits for back-up." Darcy announced her thoughts. Marc just shook his head.

"Red was right sometimes. Women get too worked up over these things."

"You're just as bad when vampires are involved so don't start with me, Marc." Autumn snapped.

"Call when you stop off." Darcy bid.

"I will." Autumn promised again.

"Then you better get on. The roads around here are harder to navigate the later it gets." Darcy warned.

"Yeah." Autumn nodded. "I'll see you guys in a few weeks." She said before leaving. John was sure to get a head scratch out of Darcy before following after his master to the car.

This was it. She was heading out for the first time in her life on a hunt by herself. Much as she'd like not to admit it she knew they were right. When it came down to it she wouldn't wait. She wouldn't hesitate. She hadn't when Red had ordered her to wait on Will to come before getting involved in the werewolf hunt. She just never waited or hesitated. She had no patience and sooner or later that would get her killed in this line of work. But at the same time she couldn't help herself. She knew what it was like to be trapped with no way out. She knew what it felt like to have a crushing weight barring down on you and your two choices are kill it or die. She couldn't hesitate or wait. So with this running through her head she loaded her trusty companion into the backseat with a rawhide that would keep him occupied until he fell asleep, put in her favorite tape, and started out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Huge thanks to Seer who helped with editing and plotting. With just six fics before the series is unofficially over she's been my compass lately. I'd have been completely lost without her. We've got the big showdown coming up soon so anyone who has an idea no matter how insane on how YED could die without the Colt feel free to send it to me. ...Well sanity is needed a bit. The Care Bear Stare will not work out and neither will enlisting the help of the Power Rangers. Anywhosits R&R and I'll see ya'll soon.**

**Chapter Two**

Darcy and Marc waited an hour before pulling out their cell phones. Now came the awkward little conversation of which one of them had the right to make the call and they called. Neither of them was fond of Dean but both knew he'd want to be the one they called. There was an alpha-dog factor there. Both were far more inclined to call Athena she had blood on her side. But in all logic calling Sam made the most sense would be the only one of the trio to use his head. They stated all of these with a lot more words before Marc pocketed his phone and stood up.

"Call Sam. There's nothing more we can do for now. I'm going to tuck in." Darcy nodded glad he was leaving her alone to make the call. She picked up her cell and dialed the number awkwardly. Athena's number she knew by heart. They texted each other frequently and there was at least one call a week just to keep track of each other. Sam's though she had memorized and wasted idle hours trying to make up an excuse to use it.

"Hello?" Sam asked after a couple of rings. He sounded groggy and she knew immediately that something was wrong with him.

"Hey, you okay?" she responded.

"Visions," was his simple reply. She could hear Dean asking questions in the background and Athena silencing him. "What's up?"

"Autumn left here on a hunt hour ago." She informed him. He groaned and she pictured him a hand over his face.

"Is she alone?"

"Will tried to talk her into taking someone or sending someone but she refused. She said you would meet her."

"I doubt that." He remarked.

"What does that mean?" she questioned She could read his mind through the phone could pick up on his emotions but not clear thoughts. It sounded ever see their friend again.

"I'll call you tomorrow and fill you in." He promised making it clear he couldn't talk about it now.

"Was it the vision?" She knew it was without asking. He'd seen something he needed to share but couldn't with his brother or Athena.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed. "I've got to go." He yawned.

"Get some sleep, Sam. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Darcy bid before hanging up. She slid down in her bed. She wasn't getting involved Autumn wouldn't want her there. She wasn't wanted and it was best if she found herself a hunt and got out of here soon. She wasn't getting involved with these hunters.

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Athena and Sam slept while Dean drove. Teenie had had the foresight to print off Autumn's e-mail in the motel office before they left. It had included directions to the town she'd headed to which would help later on. He knew how to get to the right state at least. A little after dawn Athena roused and offered to take the wheel Sam was still out cold and would likely stay that way for a while he had a lot to sleep off. So he pulled to get them a coffee and breakfast at a fast food joint and she took over. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't catch anything like restful sleep. His dreams were plagued with Autumn and all the horrible things a demon could do to her.

He read the details she'd sent religiously. It made perfect sense to him why she'd be so anxious. Motherless girls matching the physical description of her Barbie doll nieces. He wouldn't admit it but he was more into the idea of killing this son of a bitch than he'd normally be. Over the last few months he and Autumn had had several conversations on the subject of her nieces. From the beginning it had been clear that soon as the Demon were taken care of Autumn was going back, even if that meant leaving Athena, to raise the girls. Neither one of them pretended that they hadn't gotten serious when the triplets entered a conversation and he always made sure to include himself in the picture. Whether or not they'd make it that far he was rarely sure but he wanted the option open. He enjoyed the idea, which was something else he wasn't about to admit. So this hunt was going to be a lot less fun.

Eventually he did fall to sleep. Teenie was glad when Dean's head fell forward on his chest. At the first chance she got she leaned over him to recline his chair. How Autumn could tear her a new one for taking off on her own then turn around and justify doing the same thing was beyond her thinking. Dean had attempted talking about the hunt but his mind was obviously scattered. He'd just utter half sentences that she struggled to follow. Sam woke up, breaking her silence a little after noon. His headache had subsided to a dull ache. She tossed him a bottle of aspirin, he was for his next and handed him what remained of a coke she had bought after Dean dropped off.

"Where are we?" he asked offering the drink back he shook her head and he finished it off.

"Southern Cali, where about I'm not sure. It's been a while since I stopped. You hungry?"

"Starved. How long has Dean been out?"

"I started driving about six this morning he didn't fall asleep until maybe two hours ago." She told him glancing at her watch. "Should we wake him up or just run through a drive-thru?"

"Drive-thru but I'm going to need to run in and use the restroom. If we wake him up he'll want to drive. Do _you_ need a break?" Sam asked worriedly. If she'd been driving that long and they hadn't hit the road until late she couldn't be bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"I'm fine. You can take it if you want it. I was surprised Dean didn't put up a fight when I asked to drive." Sam looked to his brother as if this would help explain him.

"He's just worried. Anything that will get us there faster."

"Sammy," Athena hesitated. "What did you see?" Sam sighed and leaned back in his seat staring at the ceiling.

"Can I tell you later so I don't have to repeat it to Dean?" He asked. Something in his tone made her nod.

"Sure." They were both silent until she pulled off an exit ramp. "Where to captain?"

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When the two lanes started to become one Autumn decided it was time to pull off for the day. She slid off the first exit and into the parking lot of the first reasonably priced motel. She got a room and took John for a walk. She was starving but food could wait until after sleep. She took a duffle and her dog in the room and collapsed on the bed. She barely managed to extract her phone and dial.

"Marc?" she asked hesitantly when he didn't speak upon answering.

"Just talk I can't." He ordered and she could hear the furious clicking of fingers on a keyboard.

"I'm in I'm on the Wyoming Colorado boarder. I'll cross over when I head out." She told him. "Is my party in yet?"

"They won't be coming in without you. We tattled last night." He admitted. "You made it without incident?"

"Yeah. How could you have told on me?"

"I'll talk to you later, Autty." he said hanging up.

She didn't have the energy to be angry right now. This meant she definitely didn't have the umph to call Dean and check in. She would do that when she woke up. She was asleep before she even had time to finish this though her phone falling with a muted thud on the mattress. John hopped up in the bed lying next to her and after a while she rolled over wrapping an arm around him. It was some hours before the horribly high pitched notes of her ring tone woke her. She blindly attacked her bed in effort to find it. She finally placed it on the floor beside the bed and groaned seeing the caller ID. It was Sam.

"Hey," she greeted groggily.

"Hey yourself." Sam told her. This was great if Sam wasn't in a good mood that didn't bode well. Wasn't he a jolly giant?

"What's up?" She asked.

"Not much." He told her. "Just fill her all the way up. Her use my card." He said trying to muffle his voice. "I'll be right over there; you're not supposed to use cells by the pump." He dismissed himself. Dean wouldn't need his card he had a few of his own and since Dean hadn't made the call himself he wasn't in any shape to talk.

"Is Dean okay?" she asked worriedly.

"He's just asleep." Sam told her. "He pulled an all-nighter and hasn't waked up. Are you ready to cut the shit or should we talk about all the fun I had with Sue?"

"Sam, you have the hunt file. Can you blame me?"

"I had a vision about you." He told her and the caution in his voice sent spikes of fear through her body.

"Good vision or bad?"

"Bad." he admitted. "Autty, be careful okay?"

"Sam, I always am." she assured.

"No, I mean extra careful. Is your duffle bag near?"

"Yes," she answered confused. What was he onto now?

"Grab it." he instructed. "In the front pocket is a little talisman. I want you to wear it." He trusted she'd do this and there wouldn't be any reason to really scare her until they were with her.

"Okay." she agreed. "Do I get any details?"

"Teenie's done. I've got to go. Dean will probably call you tonight."

"Good we'll keep each other awake." This sounded as good a plan as any.

"I'll talk to you later." he swore and hung up.

Autumn looked at the ring Sam had told her to wear. She tried it on but it was too big even to be kept on her thumb without getting lost. She dug around in her bag until she found her crucifix and slid the charm off its chain tucking it away in the pocket of her bag. She put the ring on the chain and then put it around her neck. She fell back in the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long moment before deciding she may as well get back in action. She rolled over checking the clock. It had been two when she checked in and was only four now. That wasn't hardly enough sleep to last her any time. She set the alarm for six she could run out get a bite to eat after that. By the time she ate, walked John, and cleaned up it would be eight.

The red headed huntress burrowed down in the bed, kicking off her boots. She curled up wrapping herself in a dreamless sleep. She just needed to recharge enough to be functional for another 20 hours. It wasn't like lives were depending on her or anything. It was a small comfort to know the others were on their way. They would make it there together and things would be fine. There was nothing to worry her sleep deprived mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's chapter three and four has already been started. I have to run to the farm and take care of things then I plan to return and work on four. With any luck it'll be up tonight or tomorrow. I'm on a bit of a roll...At least when Katie isn't sitting here pushing random buttons or poking my screen –grumbles about sisters-- So, yah I'm off R&R!**

**Chapter Three**

"Son of a bitch!" Dean swore. "I thought you said you just filled the tank." Dean had decided against calling Autumn. He wanted her to call him and admit what she'd done. This was her move and both the younger two hunters knew that this mini battle of wills wouldn't end pretty. So with Autumn still unheard from and Dean back behind the wheel their risk of becoming part of a guard rail had tripled.

"We did." Athena told him indignantly.

"Really? Athena, what does it mean when my tank is on E and my baby starts sputtering like this?" He demanded.

The Impala was coughing and sputtering. Sam was sitting tensely shotgun not about to make a move that would draw attention to him. Teenie looked panicked. Yes, these older cars were gas guzzlers but no it was not possible for them to be on fumes like this. Not yet at least. The way she and Sam had figured it last night they should still be good to go at least until tonight. Dean pulled the Impala over on the side of the road swearing under his breath as he did so. Nothing about this suited his fancy at all. He had been unhappy but willing to accept that maybe the gage was shot. This on the other hand was not possible. He checked everything out before they'd left the Resort. Waiting for a car to pass he got out and popped the hood.

"Sam, we didn't do anything did we?" Teenie asked trying to place anything they could have done to kill the car.

"No." he shook his head. There was nothing he could think of that could have done this. "We hit that bumper last night but we checked there weren't any marks on the car. He doesn't need to know about that." Sam warned. They sat silently a few more minutes before Dean slammed the hood, he couldn't see anything wrong under the hood. He noticed the strong smell of gas as he circled the car. Glancing back at the road he suddenly knew their problem. He swore again before getting back in the car.

"There is a hole in her tank." He told them. "We're going to have to be towed into town. I'll see what I can do from there."

The tow truck was called and do to some pile-up a few miles ahead of them was going to take two hours to get to them. Sam was anything but patient about the wait. Autumn wouldn't sit around waiting on them. Even if she did the demon would still find her first. Teenie sat on the trunk of the Impala, legs tucked under her as she drew in her sketch pad. They had time to kill. Dean was still dead set against checking up on Autumn himself. This made him even more difficult to deal with.

"We've got time and are all here, why don't you tell us what you saw?" Teenie asked Sam under her breath. If Sam refused she didn't want Dean to snap. Unfortunately Dean did hear and turned around.

"Yeah, Sammy, what happens?" He prompted. Sam swallowed. He wanted them to know. He wanted the unspoken ban on calling Autumn lifted. But he also wanted to be in a position to actually be able to move when they knew. Neither of them would want to sit still.

"Sam?"

"Autumn is possessed; she's with this little girl. The kid is screaming and fighting back as much as she can so Autumn hands her over to a man, the demon's partner. She kills the little girl." Sam admitted keeping the part about turning the blade on herself out. Athena met Dean's eyes and the two shared the same horrified panicked thoughts. Dean's hands clenched in to white knuckled fists.

"Son of a bitch!"

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Autumn followed her plan to a T. She slept another couple of hours, took John for a walk, and snagged breakfast, straightened up her room and self before hitting the road. She wasn't exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed but close enough. She waited until she'd been out a little while; mostly because that made it later and deceived Darcy when she called in to say she was headed off again. She really wanted to put it off until she'd be waking the younger girl up but annoying Darcy didn't rank as high as protecting her own image. Having slept and fooled around that long was horribly unforgivable in her book. John was in the passenger seat his head hanging out the window watching the few cars on the road at this hour. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"I thought you'd call Marc again." Darcy said picking up the call. She sounded bored with the conversation already.

"He wasn't much in the mood for talking earlier and when he gets like that it can take days to pull him back out. I'm on the road again." Autumn told her.

"No! I thought you'd called me for fun." Darcy's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Valover." Autumn wasn't impressed. "I don't have to call you. I'm checking in because you asked me to."

"Have you talked with Winchester?" Darcy asked leaving which Winchester open for debate.

"I talked to Sam this afternoon. But that's it. I'm waiting on Dean to call me. I doubt that'll happen though. He's a bit stubborn about things like this. He would call except someone told him I took off on my own."

"Well if you get killed I don't want your blood on my hands." Darcy responded carelessly.

"Good to know. How's Jen taking it?"

"She's called you a few names and tried to talk Gus and Will into finding you. What's the deal with her and the bartender anyway?" Autumn laughed.

"They were an item. Now she won't let him near her again."

"I got that much from their minds. I thought he'd jump when she told him to."

"Yeah," Autumn agreed. "Maybe Gussy is finally growing a pair."

"When are you stopping again?"

"I'm in hopes I won't have to. I should get there tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how things go. I may stop off soon as I hit New Mexico. I'd rather not it'll screw up my sleeping pattern even more."

"Call them. Let them know where you are, Daemon."

"I'll call if they haven't by day break." she promised.

"Good and be careful. Hunter funerals are always a drag and they really smell too." Darcy said and without giving Autumn time to respond hung up. Autumn dropped her phone between her legs and reached over to pat John.

"Big boy we've got some very strange friends." she told the dog. John licked her hand before sticking his head back out the window. Autumn turned up the radio; one good thing about heading south was she was going to get a few more country stations.

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Katherine stood back; she was barely able to look at the tiny casket in front of her. Jaclyn had been her charge for the last four years. There was rarely a day the child wasn't in her care. Even her fiancé adored the child, though their parents jokingly said that Jaclyn was their birth control. Jaclyn's mother had died in a fire accident when she was just an infant. Her father had struggled alone for a year when Katharine met him in at a grief councilor's office. Her brother had died earlier the same year and she hadn't handled it well. The match had been perfect. She was able to watch the girl all day, as she was being home schooled to finish up high school. They'd gotten along perfectly. There wasn't a sweeter more angelic child in the world as far as Katherine was concerned. She'd never seen a kid so excited to be starting school either. Jaclyn's life hadn't even started and it was over.

"Katherine," Conrad, Jaclyn's father, hugged her. "Thank you for coming."

"Connie, where else would I be? You know she was my baby." Katherine said with a sad smile.

"Kat, you remember my sister Cassandra." Cassandra had been visiting and watched Jaclyn the last week before her death; in fact she'd died on Cassandra's watch.

"Yes, I'm sorry we had to meet again this way." Katherine held out her hand shaking Cassandra's. Cassandra's brown eyes flashed black a moment. Katherine froze, she couldn't move. Her hand seemed to have caught fire. It burned up her arm and into her chest. The feeling seemed to consume her body before she went completely numb and unaware. Katherine's eyes went black a moment but no one noticed as Cassandra collapsed on the ground.

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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I was a little slower on this one than planned. Today didn't go as I'd hoped and then Teenie and Sam wanted to be difficult. There is still some sexual tension there . You add massive stress to that and make a social hermit write it the hermit kind of stutters sand stumbles a LOT. Anyway R&R and I just might get you chapter five before Tuseday. **

**Chapter Four**

Dean slid out from under the Impala. He'd patched the hole in the gas tank but it was going to take 24 hours to dry enough to hold gas. When this was over he'd want to replace the tank entirely too. But it would take even longer to find a tank that would match what he needed. Sam had taken Athena to the diner down the road to get a burger. He surveyed the street. If Autumn was going to be so close to a demon that it was going to be in her he wanted to be there. He had to get to her before the demon did. He didn't have the 24 hours to wait. If they lost a day she'd get ahead of them. It wouldn't take a demon long to find her. Hunters and demons were naturally drawn to each other. One of them would seek the other out.

Sam wouldn't agree to this and Teenie already proved she couldn't follow orders once this week. If he left the two here together with his car the three would follow after him in 24 hours. A voice in the back of his mind told him to call her. If he would just call Autumn all would be well. That could wait until he had a ride though. He spotted a car that would suit him and grabbed his duffle. Having been a while since he'd needed to hotwire a car it took him a moment, but the car was parked out of sight and wouldn't be noticed. He finally got the blue Chevy fired up and tossed his bag in the passenger seat. Sam would call him when he was found missing and he'd explain things then.

"I was just thinking about you." Autumn admitted when she answered the phone.

"You okay?" he asked wanting to be sure before they discussed anything else.

"Fine as frog hair split three ways." Autumn responded. "What's going on?"

"I'm on my way and you are not to move until I get there." Dean ordered.

"Winchester, you'd better have a good reason to talk to me like that." She warned. Something in his tone left her no room to argue and she wasn't a dog to be ordered about.

"Have you talked to Sam?" He asked.

"Yesterday, he was wigged out too. What do you know that I don't?"

"Did he tell you he had a vision?"

"Yes, said it was a bad one about me but didn't say anymore. Had me put on a ring and seemed to think I'd be okay." Dean knew Sam thought the ring would help and that was a comfort. At least until he could get to her.

"Yeah, he wouldn't give me details either." Autumn was quiet a long moment and Dean changed lanes. The joker in front of him was never going to speed up. "Aut?"

"I'm still here. I have to find that demon." She was more resolved now then ever to find it.

"Aut, I'll be there right after you, just sit still." Dean pleaded.

"Babe, I'll be fine. How much trouble can I really get into if you're going to hit town a few hours after me?" She asked and it did help a little. But Dean wasn't impressed.

"Get a motel room when you get there, get settled before you go interview people. Give me a chance to catch up."

"Dean, you can't mess with fate. If I'm going to be possessed--"

"Then I want to be there to kick the demons ass."

"Okay." That she couldn't argue with. "How are the kids?"

"They were fine when I left them."

"Left them?"

"The Impala had a little problem. They'll be right behind me."

"Do they know you left?" She asked and he knew she was purposely not asking how he'd gotten a ride.

"Not yet."

"And what was wrong with the Impala?"

"There was a hole in the gas tank. I patched it; it's just going to take some time to dry. I'll call Bobby when we get off this job about getting a replacement." He dismissed as if it were unimportant.

"Dork, chill. I'll be fine." Autumn promised.

"You should have called."  
"I talked to Sam; I thought I was in the clear."

"Babe, I've got a cop a few cars back I need to disappear. Call me later."

"I will." She agreed.

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"One guess what he did." Sam prompted sitting on the bed. They had searched the motel rooms and checked the Impala. Dean and his duffle bag were both gone.

"He wouldn't leave his car." Teenie said in denial.

"Dean's gone." Sam told her. "Which means the car is going to take time, something we don't really have." Teenie groaned.

"I'll check the directions see how long we're stuck here." She told him going to find the packaging.

"24 hours?" Sam repeated disbelieving. The directions had been confirmed by Dean. That phone call at least had been amusing. Athena had yelled at him for running off without consulting them and for leaving her behind. The two had come close to debating who had more claim and right to go after Autumn. Ultimately the younger two hunters had agreed, and entrusted the eldest of their part to Dean.

"It's not all that bad." Athena tried to be optimistic popping another fun sized Snickers in her mouth. She chewed quickly before explaining. "Dean and Autumn have a thing. They'll be fine. He'll get to her and all will be well."

"No! Teenie, you don't get it!" Sam snapped. "Visions don't just work like that. Autumn is in real trouble and we don't get there in time."

"Visions change, Sammy. The future isn't set in stone. I've read enough books to know that at every person makes a million decisions at any given moment in time which completely alter the future. In your vision things were different. We're changing them." She had to believe this. She had to cling to the laws of fiction in order to keep reality from overwhelming her. Sam shook his head at a loss for words. How could she be so deluded?

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Autumn pulled into town as the sun went down. She wouldn't get far tonight, even if it were earlier in the day she was tired. She found a motel and checked in. She quickly walked John, brought in her gear, before securing the room. She quickly called Marc to tell him she'd made it in and was fine. Usually this would get her transferred to Jen who would take her room number and ask what the motel's name was. But tonight Marc assured her that that wouldn't be wise and took the information himself. Jen had been angry with her before but never so much as to pass on her duties to someone else. The red head picked up her favored gun and disassembled it to clean, a habit she'd picked up from Dean. She was debating on calling Jen to smooth feathers when her phone rang.

"You read my mind." She stated answering. She knew the number to be Jen's.

"I could kill you. You know that? When I give you an order you follow it. When tell you not to take a case you say 'Yes ma'am' you don't ever take the case. I should kill you."

"I briefed you, which is more than I had to do." Autumn told her.

"Autumn you had better come back alive and not in a duffle bag to be burned." Jen snapped.

"I'll be back. Have some faith, Jen."

"If Marc, Valover, or myself has not heard from you by noon every day I will call John." she warned.

"I behave or you call Daddy? Let me guess Daddy is still going to hear of this when he comes home?" Autumn sneered.

"John will hear about this, if I don't tell him word will travel. He has eyes and ears amongst us." Jen reminded.

"Yes, but when he hears of it we'll be happily off on another hunt." Autumn argued.

"Unless you're dead. Keep your head clear on this one, Autty."

"I will, if you can relax long enough to let me do my job."

"If I don't hear from you I'll call the motel."

"You won't have to do that."

"Good. Be careful Autumn."

"Always am." She said with the smarmy charm that had rubbed off from Dean.

"So was I." Jen said cutting the line.

That was true. Jen loved her job. She had betrayed her father to learn the art and was always more cautious than need be. She had to prove to her father that she was as deserving of the hunter name as her brothers. She had to survive and be the best at everything. Jen had been careful and nearly died. Autumn pushed these thoughts from her head as she dialed a different number. She still hadn't called Dean to tell him what motel and room she was in. Aside from that she needed to hear his voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You thought you'd never see this worked on didn't you? Honestly I was starting to think the same thing. December just sucked for me and the last few days I've been trying but getting nowhere. You can all thank Seer for this. I was up until 7 in the morning talking to her and just joking around about things we both have planned for the future of our stories and she sort of kick started my brain on accident. **

**Chapter Five**

Autumn pulled up to the house of the last victim and hesitated a moment. She didn't want to do this alone. She knew she could but if the boys were so worried then there was something they weren't sharing. How dangerous can a grieving father really be though? She asked herself leaving the confines of Scarlet. She walked up the front steps and knocked on the door of the small ranch style house. A woman answered the door. There was a look all too familiar in her eyes that broke Autumn's heart.

"Hi," She smiled weakly. "I'm Julie Norman. I'm with the county's sheriff's office." She quickly flashed a fake badge. The woman stared blankly. She didn't comprehend anything Autumn said.

"Cassie? Cassandra who is it?" A man called from inside. When he put a hand on the woman's shoulder Autumn was able to see his face, she recognized him from some of her research. He was the father of the latest victim, Conrad.

"Cop," was all the more Cassandra offered as a response.

"I just made some tea, why don't you go get a cup and sit down." Conrad suggested and the woman wandered off. "I'm sorry about her. Since the funeral she's been, well for lack of a better word, lost." Autumn nodded trying to be understanding.

"My brother was much the same when his wife and son died. It's easy to get lost when a child is taken from you so young and suddenly." Conrad stared at her, trying to decide if he should trust her or not.

"I'm sorry." He finally said.

"As am I. But all things are have their reason."

"What reason is there for my daughter to be murdered?" Conrad demanded.

"I only wish I knew, sir." Autumn said sullenly. "May I come in? I need to ask you and your sister a few questions.

"No, we've already discussed this with you people. Cassandra was here alone with my baby. Men broke in and killed my Jaclyn. They cut Cassandra up as well. You have photos and descriptions all in some case file I doubt you'll ever even look at."

"Sir, I'm from a different department. I promise you I will find who killed your daughter. But I like to ask my own questions. I have a little different take on things than most officers of the law."

"Then come back with a warrant. We're just trying to move on, here." Conrad proceeded to slam the door in her face. Autumn drew a slow breath; if he wasn't grieving she'd storm in and knock sense into him. He had at least given her one jewel: Cassandra was alone with Jaclyn when she was killed.

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Katherine screamed and beat against the confines of the box she'd been placed in. Deep within her own mind she'd been locked away. She could see everything that was happening and do nothing about it. There was a man in control of her now. No, the only thing proper about the term man was the thing controlling her was male. It checked her day planner and with sudden horror she realized what happened tonight. Tonight she was hosting a FFA meeting. She was going to have the little kids here tonight and He was pleased with this idea. He wanted children. She tore at the walls of her box feeling very much like a mime. She couldn't see the box and yet was trapped inside it.

"You bastard!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. He didn't come in and yell at her as he had done earlier when they were alone but her fiancé was home now. He walked her body into him sitting down beside Paul and blew in his ear drawing him from the news paper he was reading.

"Hey," she heard her own voice draw seductively. Katherine swore more as the creature controlling her body came in and kissed her man. The more she protested however the more the creature got into it and for the sake of the promises she and Paul had made she sat down and shut up. There had to be a better way to get out of this.

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Dean barely got in the door before John-dog was jumping on him licking him. It was good his tail had been bobbed or it would have been smashing and bashing everything within reach. The dog's whole hindquarters wiggled when Dean pushed him down. He followed after Dean as he set down his duffle bag beside Autumn's. He finally sat on the bed letting the dog in next to him. John laid his head in Dean's lap his tongue lolling out of his mouth as Dean scratched his belly roughing up his sleek coat.

"OK I missed you too mutt." He admitted since no one was here to hear him. It wasn't that he didn't like dogs that had caused him to shun this one. John had the habit of getting in bed between him and Autumn and lying on his back stretched out. He was a massive dog so it was very much like having a short hairy man in bed with them. "So where has your mother gone?" John just rolled around beside him in response. Dean had spoken to Autumn and she'd said she was going to go talk to the father of the last little girl but that was three hours ago. She'd had more than enough time to speak with the man and be back. He dug his phone from his pocket and text her. "Aut call me" He wasn't sure she wouldn't be busy. He knew her well enough to know that she could still be talking to the guy though the conversation would no longer be hunt related. He gave her ten minutes long enough to back out of the conversation and called her.

"I'll be back in a minute Dean. I'm checking something." Autumn answered sounding very much distracted.

"Checking what?" he asked.

"Don't be so paranoid. I'm checking the baby sitter." She told him. "I'll call you as soon as I leave and be back at the motel five minutes after that."

"No," he protested reaching for the motel paper and pen. "Give me the address I'll meet you there and we can get dinner on the way back." Autumn sighed but didn't protest giving him the address and quick directions.

"Anything else, babe? I found the house." She asked him. He hesitated a moment. There was something he needed to say here something that would make her stop and wait for him. But he couldn't find the words.

"No, I'll see you in a few minutes."

"OK bye Dork." His chest tightened when she cut the line. He had to get to her now.

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"Do you see anything?" Sam asked rocking the Impala a bit while Teenie checked under it for any leaking.

"Nope!" She chirped hopping up. She beamed at him throwing her arms around his neck she kissed him quickly. "We're good to go Sammy!" She plucked up the gas can pouring the rest of it into the tank while Sam recomposed himself. She was completely unaware of what she'd just done. She popped a sucker in her mouth from her pocket when she was done. "Let's get our bags and get out of here before we miss the party."

"I'll go turn in the key." Sam told her trailing off toward the office. She nodded dutifully behind him dancing into their room and getting their belongings gathered and out to the car. She paused only to check Sam's computer to be sure there wasn't a message on there. When Sam returned she tossed him the car keys.

"You okay?" She asked sliding in the passenger seat.

"Hmm? Yeah just thinking." She looked him over as if she didn't believe him.

"You're sure you're not about to tune in the psychic channel?" She pressed.

"I'm fine Teenie." He swore revving the engine. "Ready?"

"Cha!" she nodded buckling in, an impulse from Dean's somewhat reckless driving the day before. They hit the road with the hope of being reunited before the end of the day. When this was over Sam was going to get them all micro chipped. Losing each other like this was uncalled for. He started ranting to himself about never letting the girls or Dean out of sight again. Part of him was aware that this was a defense mechanism so he wouldn't glance at Teenie's bare legs up on the dashboard. She'd declared it "Too damn hot for clothes" that morning causing him to blush until he realized she was going to be wearing a pair of those little cotton shorts with Juicy written on the butt. She'd pinned her hair back today in the same fashion Jess always had when studying or if over heated. This didn't help keep his mind on anything comfortable either. He figured he had three choices: think about what condition Autumn could be in, relive Jess flashbacks while checking out Athena, or bitch to himself about how bad they were about keeping together. The third option was sadly the best.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yes I do suck. But I'm trying guys. So bare with me. I'll try to work on this more faithfully and get back on track. REVIEWS help that. You guys leave reviews I feel more pressure to work. So keep that in mind before leaving this page. **

**Chapter Six**

Katherine was glad that to hear a knock at the door. It would finally end this monster's make-out session. Paul, though reluctant to quit, had a bit of relief in his eyes too. He was getting too close to crossing the line. They wanted to wait until the were married. It was enough that they'd moved in together. He stood her up and walked her to the front door. The demon opened it and smiled sweetly at the red head standing on the other side. The woman smiled her hazel eyes flicked over her looking for something. Katherine hoped she saw that there was something wrong here.

"Hello, I'm Julie Norman. I'm from the sheriff's office. I just left your employer's house he said I might be able to talk to you about his daughter?" The demon was too pleased with this. It knew something about this woman. He opened the door letting her in.

"Of course, Julie. We can talk." Julie seemed to hesitate then. Her hand went behind her back for a fleeting moment before she followed Katherine's body inside. "This way. Can I get you anything?" He led her to the kitchen motioning for her to sit at the table.

"No, thank you," Julie smiled declining. "I'm meeting up with my partner when I leave to go over the case. A dinner meeting. He'll be here if I'm late." She said and Katherine's heart leaped. Julie knew something was up. "I just want to ask you a few questions about Jaclyn."

"Yes," He sat down across from the woman. "What would you like to know?"

"Did she sleep well? Ever have any fear of being watched, maybe there were monsters in her room?"

"No. She always slept sound." Katherine wondered how He knew that. It had to mean He had access to all her memories too and that worried her. What could He do with it?

"How did she feel about her aunt Cassandra?"

"They always got along before. But this visit she seemed afraid of her. She said it wasn't Cassie." Julie nodded as if she'd heard this before.

"Did Jaclyn say how she was different?" Julie pressed.

"Her eyes." He stopped short.

"What about them?"

"Jaclyn—She was just a little girl it was crazy. She thought Cassie's eyes were different. Said they were black but I never saw it. She didn't want to stay with her the night she died, now that I think of it. She called me throwing a royal fit. She wanted to be here with me and Paul."

"Did she say why?"

"Her father was going out. I guess she just didn't want to be alone with her. Paul and I have pretty much raised Jaclyn. She spent a lot of time here. Even has her own room." Julie nodded.

"Honey? Whose here?" Paul called walking in.

"Paul this is Julie Norman. She wanted to talk to me about Jaclyn. We're out of milk could you run to the store and get some?" Katherine sighed Paul was going to be gone. He'd be safe for a little while. Julie smiled at him and nodded when he looked to her. He seemed to be asking her permission to go. As he left He leaned across the table and put his hands over Julie's arm. There was a small cut there, nearly healed and Katherine suddenly knew how He'd gotten into her. Julie's eyes widened. She was shocked. Katherine felt Him leave her body. She burned all over her mouth tasted of sulfur. Then everything went black.

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Dean sat outside the house watching it and waiting for Autumn to come out. When she finally came out she didn't look around. She didn't see him. She went straight to her car and sped off. Dean tried calling her. He was close enough to see her check the phone just before chucking it out the window. He was too late. He looked around but there weren't any cars on this street that he could take off with. There was no following after her. He retrieved her phone. It wasn't in working order but he could still get the chip out of it. He would find her. He would save her. Then she'd want her phone back. Until then he had to make a phone call.

"Hey, Dean-o. It was very nice of you to leave us like that." Athena answered Sam's phone meaning he was either driving or sleeping.

"You have done the same thing so don't start. It didn't do any good anyway. How soon will you be here?"

"An hour maybe two. What happened?"

"It has her."

"Son of a bitch! Dean, how could you let that happen?"

"Athena its not like I really just LET it happen. Call me as soon as you get in town."  
"Dean, don't do anything stupid. We can't lose anyone else. Stay put we'll be right there." Athena ordered.

"Yeah." He said with no intention of following the order. "How's Cleo?"

"Sam's fine. I'll call you. We're getting ready to go through a tunnel and will get cut off."

"Kay." She hung up. Dean stuffed his phone in his pocket and looked back down the street to the house Autumn had come out of. He could get some answers. Autumn wasn't a demon when she went in the house she came out she was.

He knocked on the front door but no one answered. It wasn't locked he slipped right in and began to search the house for any signs of life. The other host had to be in here. He found her in the kitchen. A petite raven haired woman laid on the kitchen floor unconscious. Dean knelt beside her feeling for a pulse. She was still alive. He groaned, not able to believe his luck. He shook her gently.

"Miss?" He asked as her eyes fluttered open. "Are you OK?" she jolted back at first when she saw there was a stranger in her home.

"Where's Julie?" she demanded to know.

"Who?" He questioned, that name was knew to him.

"Julie Norman, she was just here talking to--" Her eyes clouded as she realized something and tried to stand. Dean helped her up making her sit in a chair.

"What happened?"

"I'm crazy." she told him. "Its not really possible. I must have just fainted." Dean licked his lips searching for the right way to say this but there wasn't one.

"You're not crazy—What's your name?"

"I'm Katherine. Who are you?"

"I'm Dean. Katherine, I need you to tell me everything that happened or that woman that was just here will die. It won't just be her either. It will be a lot of people after her."

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"Tell me what you know first."

"I was at Jaclyn's funeral. Her aunt shook my hand and then this thing was in my head. He could control me."

"Did you see black smoke?" She looked at him as if he were out of it.

"No. Why would I see black smoke?"

"How did he get in you, then?"

"I had a paper cut on my finger." She showed him the cut. "He has to come in contact with an opening like that. He must chose it cause he was all over my fiancé...Oh God! Where's Paul?"

"I don't know. Tell me about the demon. What did it want?"

"He wanted to use me. He's after children...He killed Jaclyn didn't he? He was in Cassandra and he killed her. She was right that wasn't her aunt." Katherine was crumbling now. She was starting to cry as realizations kicked in. "He took Julie."

"Who is Julie?"

"The woman that was just here. Red head. She said her partner would be here if she was late to meet him. I think she knew what was in me."

"Probably. She makes a living doing this stuff. I have to go find her before the demon hurts her. Will you be OK?" She nodded.

"I think so." Dean grabbed a pen and a memopad from beside the phone on the counter and wrote down his number.

"If anything happens call me." She nodded again and he left.

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"She's not going to be happy about a demon driving her car around." Athena commented as they all tried to come up with some sort of plan.

"She'll get over it." Dean told her. Sam felt sick to his stomach. She wouldn't get over it. She wasn't going to live long enough to get over it.

"The demon wants kids. He has a MO. We might be able to predict where she'll be." Sam offered. "We just have to figure out how many girls fit the description in the area."

"Like we did with Archer, when we met Darcy." Athena agreed.

"You two get on that. I'm going to go look for her. How many 65 Mustangs could be in this town?" Dean asked getting up. He wasn't just going to sit around thumbing through long forgotten files looking for a clue. Not at least when there was a more direct route. After Dean had left Teenie looked up.

"Sam? Could we set up a trap if we found the place you saw her in in your vision?"

"I don't know. If Autumn knows about the vision maybe the demon won't go there."

"Or maybe he will. He'll know that's where to find us." She pointed out.

"I don't know, Teenie."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OK I get it. No love for Sarah. But what about the girls and boys? Anyway, I'm babysitting 8:30 A to 5 P Monday through Friday now so I should work on this more often. R&R!!!**

**Chapter Seven**

He drove her to an old little used warehouse in a rundown part of the town where they wouldn't be seen. Though Autumn found this to be stupid. A car like hers would attract attention in this area. It wasn't going to be easily forgotten. He laughed at her logic. No one would see them. He checked her trunk rifling through her weaponry. It pleased him. He was almost giddy about the contents. _"We'll have fun with these."_ He told her unsheathing several of her knives. After a severe inspection her blades he chose his favorite and attached it to her belt. It had an advantage over the other larger, sharper blades of looking like the sort of knife any deer hunter would own. It wouldn't be so noticed or feared. Now was time to go find His little girl.

While the demon drove Autumn played with Him. She pestered Him with question after question. Occasionally falling back on flat out name calling. If she could distract Him maybe she could keep him away from any innocents. Despite her efforts they still crept closer toward the more family oriented part of town. He seemed to be humoring her answering her questions and throwing an insult back for everyone she gave Him. Several times the room of her mind she was in had shrunk. It seemed to happen the most when she played with the door trying to get out. The room was painfully familiar. It was identical to her parents bedroom. The room her mother had over dosed in and her father had blown his brains out in. It was the room Martha and Billy-Jack had occupied while living at Autumn's farm. A lot had gone down in this room. Very little of what had stuck with her over the years had been good. She knew the feeling of having the walls close in on her.

"_Do you know what I like best about you hunters?"_ The demon mused.

"Our spunk?" She questioned sitting on the bed folding her arms over her chest and glared at the door. She knew He smirked though she couldn't see Him. His voice was emitted through the room like an over powered PA system.

"_Every one of you thinks you come from some dark twisted past. Like you've already been through Hell."_

"Sorry. I forgot coming home from school to find your father's brains splattered on the wall happens all the time. You know that was the best episode of the Brady Bunch." She retorted.

_"Oh yes that's sooo horrible." _He said in a taunting baby voice. "_You love the blood, guts, and gore. That's why you do this. You have everyone fooled. They all think you're in it to escape beatings. You're just in this because you love the power. Holding the life of an inferior creature in your hands and snuffing it out. You get off on it, don't you Aut?" _She bit her lip refusing to rise to His bait. "_We're not that different, baby doll. One day, while you're sitting in hell waiting for the end of eternity you'll realize how weak and pathetic you humans really are. You'll get the same thrill. The same high, as you start snuffing out the lives of your former fellows."_

"Go to Hell!" She snapped.

"_I've been there and done that. Even have the T-Shirt want to see?"_ The room tightened again. She'd pissed Him off somehow this time. She fell silent for a few minutes re-evaluating her position. "_Mmm what have we here?" _He was way too pleased with himself as they pulled into the small parking lot of a subdivision's park. A man about her own age was holding onto his daughter's bike as she took her first few careful pedals toward freedom without any training wheels. Her long blond hair was pulled back in the sort of messy ponytail that is produced whenever a father treads on the foreign grounds of female hair care, and her big blue eyes hid behind purple rimmed glasses. "_Take a good look Daemon, she's ours."_

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Three hours after walking out of the motel room Dean as no closer to finding Autumn than he was when he'd stepped out. He had stopped at every gas station, asked every pedestrian he'd seen but no one could remember seeing his girl or her car. His head dropped on the steering wheel as he sat at a long red light. He wasn't yet defeated. Athena and Sam were working on another route. They would have Autumn before night fall tomorrow. Then he was going to throttle her. How could she do this? Had he not asked her to stay put? She knew how dangerous this job was and yet she seemed to enjoy putting herself in danger. Not only was she going to get herself killed but he'd be right after her in the grave just from worrying about her. The light changed and he sped forward causing the photo album on the dash to come back and land open on the seat. He glanced down at the book and swallowed hard seeing the two pictures staring up at him. In one Autumn sat on the porch swing last Thanksgiving, baby Nick in her arms and the girls huddled around her. In the other picture was the triplets, all in their best dresses. The way Kendra sat her blue shorts could be seen under the pastel pink skirt, and she had a hold of Kelly who was about to run out of the picture. Kayla sat next to her leaning into the stronger girl. He'd never noticed before the bruise on her little arm. For a brief moment he completely understood why Autumn was doing this.

He twisted and turned into the rundown, abandoned portion of the town, where bankrupt factories stood. He searched for anything. Any sign of Autumn or the Mustang. There was a group of teenagers standing at the mouth of one of the alley ways smoking and drinking out of bottles stuffed in brown paper bags. He pulled up to them rolling down his window. "Hey!" He called. They looked over at him with amused expressions. "Any of you seen an older model red mustang go through the area?"

"With a hot little bitch to match?" One of the boys asked sidling over, hitching up his pants before the fell below his knees. Any other day he'd have taken the time to teach this kid some respect. Women could be idolized and ogled but you don't talk about them like that. Few actually deserve it.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"I don't know. It'll cost you." Rolling his eyes Dean produced a twenty from his wallet handing it over.

"She was through here about a hour ago. Went up there and turned right back toward the yuppies."

"Get yourself a belt, dude." Dean instructed before following the boy's directions. After a few blocks he spotted an elderly man walking a mangy looking dog who confirmed the boy's story. Not to get their hopes up, Dean called Sam's number to tell what he knew and see what they'd found.

"Find her?" Sam asked in a hushed hurried voice when he answered.

"Not exactly. I'm following about a hour behind her. She could still be anywhere." Dean admitted and Sam relayed the information to Athena. "You guys have any luck?"

"Its not as easy as it was with Archer. This girls have grown a bit. They'll be harder to find. There were a few apartment building set on fire about four years ago. Three women died in one building, two in the other. A few of them made it to the hospital and died there. They were trying to get their kids out. Well other than one Agnes Hartford who was saving her chiapets."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, she was 75, and had some dementia. I don't know why they didn't have her in a home instead." Sam said a little sadly. "We're trying to narrow things down but its going to take some time."

"OK. How's Teen holding up?"

"Pick up a bag of blowpops on your way back." Sam told him as an answer. Dean half wondered if she hadn't smoked sometimes the way she was with her candy. Suckers were the worst. She chainsucked lollipops. The more nervous she was the worse it got too. He couldn't count the number of times she'd ridden with him and fallen asleep with a sucker in her mouth leaving him to retrieve it before she choked on it.

"Don't let her out of your sight." He ordered.

"I won't. Dean, I've got to go if I'm going to get any work done." Dean sighed.

"Yeah, right." He agreed and hung up. He drew a slow deep breath and started working his way down the streets of his second subdivision.

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I'll start Chapter Nine now. Maybe get it up tomorrow or next week. We shall see. HOPEFULLY it will be the conclusion of this fic. We have to see how they try to save Autty and of course I promised Dean would let the L word slip. So we shall see that in the next chapter hopefully. I don't plan to go more than 10 chapters at the most for this fic. Then I'm going to have to go back and check to see what I had planned for the next fic. We're getting really close to seeing the end of this series... If I could just stick with it damn it!**

**Chapter Eight**

It had been two days and they were no closer to finding Autumn. At least one of them stayed on research detail 24/7. There was always one of them out driving around looking for her. Despite having spotted the Mustang a few times parked at random places through out the town they had yet to see Autumn. All three hunters were ready to pull their hair out. To add insult to injury all of this had found its way back to Jen after a few frustrated rants to either Darcy or Will and on the most recent occasion Jen herself and now John was being called up. Any other time having John called in to clean up his mess would have pissed Dean off. But now he was a little relieved.

"Winchester?" Jen asked and Dean snapped back into reality. He'd been watching Autumn's car all day to no avail.

"Sorry, I'm here." he mumbled. Jen didn't make the comment she would have under normal circumstances about Winchesters never admitting fault and apologizing. Instead she sort of sighed and repeated what she'd said before.

"If the demon is going for little girls in single parent homes check out the sitter sites for the area. See if any of the names on your list match up to people who are looking for baby sitters." That was a thought that hadn't occurred to any of them. Childcare was Autumn's field. She'd think to check something like that, none of them had ever had hands on experience with kids before. Autumn had done some babysitting growing up, like nearly every teenage girl.

"OK. Have you heard from Dad yet?"

"No, I got a hold of Bobby though. He's working on tracking him down. I just hope you find her before then."

"We'll find her." He swore and it was Jen's turn to be silent. "I've got to go." He lied after a long moment. "Sam's calling."

"Yeah. I've got things to do here. Call if you get anywhere." She instructed in a more friendly tone than usual. Dean hung up without responding. She knew he would, well she knew one of them would be in contact later. Part of him missed the days where it was just him and Sammy. They didn't have to call and check in with anybody. They didn't have to look after two women who couldn't keep their noses out of trouble. It was no wonder Will took off without contact for so long. The two of them were just about more trouble than they were worth.

He waited a few minutes before texting Athena and telling her to check listings for baby sitters. She sent back a simple "K" and he was left alone in his car again. He'd tried taking John-dog with him yesterday but the dog didn't want to mind him. He waited another hour and was ready to call for his replacement when she came walking down the street. She had the keys out and unlocked the Mustang as soon as she reached it, not hesitating for a second. She slipped in the front seat then turned, rolling down the window. She looked right at him.

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Autumn saw Dean and her stomach jumped up into her mouth. Was that even possible? She wasn't really real anymore. She didn't have a physical form. She wasn't sure what she was right now. But just the same she felt all the emotions she would have felt any time she saw Dean. Not having seen him in what seemed like eons only intensified the emotions. The demon liked that. He contorted her face into what He believed to be a 'come hither' look. But Dean's expression was repulsed. He knew what she was. He wasn't going to just trot over and kiss her, launching into the details of his car repair. The demon didn't seem to know that though. Dean hesitated a moment then hopped out of his car. He looked both ways before crossing the street. The demon pulled their pay-by-minute cellphone out of her pocket bringing up a new txt message. Quickly he typed something and soon as Dean reached the car He tossed Dean the phone and sped off. Not fast enough for her not to see the look on his face. Dean pulled a gun, she knew he'd try to shoot the tires out but was too slow they were too far off and there were people.

She pulled her knees up, tucking them under her chin sitting on the bed in a room that wasn't big enough for it. After shrinking the room to barely fit the bed the demon had started adding little details. At first she thought her insolence was going unpunished. She didn't notice the empty pill bottle on the night stand. It was identical to the one she'd found when she'd gone to check her mother and found her dead, a detail she's hidden from everyone else. The next addition to the room she hadn't spotted right off but caught quicker than the bottle. It was a bloodied set of deer antlers, He was trying to remind her of her uncle. It worked. But instead of breaking her down, she had screamed at Him for hours. That brought around the third addition. On the wall over the headboard, just the same as it had been so many years ago was blood and brain matter where her father had shot himself. Upon seeing it she'd turned and started dry heaving. She'd never wished so much to be able to vomit.

All of her protesting was about what the demon was using her to do now. The man and little girl they'd seen in the park were Theodore an his daughter Martina. The demon had been over joyed to find that Martina went by Marti, a walking talking reminder of Martha ready made. Maybe God was on His side. The demon easily played Theodore into his hands. In a fifteen minute conversation He'd gotten Theodore to hire her as a sitter. Marti was older than most the victims, in kindergarten. Autumn would be putting her on the bus and getting her off it. There would be a few hours in the after noon she'd have to watch the child until her father got home.

It, in all honesty, would have been a great simple job. The demon often let her play with the little girl. Autumn was the one to do her hair and help her get dressed. Any time Autumn made a move to contact anyone though the demon took control back. Autumn hated being forced back into this room. For one it was painful to be stuffed against your will into the back of your mind. The room itself was made from her darkest moments.

Finally Autumn pushed Dean's face from her mind and licked her lips. What she wouldn't give for a few gallons of tequila right now. She moved to the door knocking on it. The rules she'd made for herself while with Billy-Jack had come back. When being treated as the inferior act as if the person doing actually deserves respect. Long term it doesn't get you anywhere but in the short term it saves you from being kicked around.

"_Yes, Aut?"_ He asked in a sugary voice. She cringed. The only reason He was using that name was to start her up, she reminded herself.

"What did you tell him?" she questioned hesitantly. He waited a moment weighing the options.

_"Your friends have called recruits in. Its time I move on but I need to finish this job first. I just told him where we'll be tonight."_ There was a moment of silence. She had nothing to say to this. He was going to kill the girl and leave the body for Dean to find. _"No, darling. I'll wait until they're there first. Then I'll kill the girl. I'm not going to ride around in your body. It aches and attracts too much attention. You don't just wear hunters. I'm going to kill you tonight and I am going to make your precious boyfriend watch. It really is the least I can do." _Autumn stumbled back falling into the bed. She couldn't die! Not like this. Not now. There was still so much she had to do. The demon didn't speak to her. He just let her meltdown.

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Athena was at the computer mapquesting the location the demon had given Dean while Sam pace the length of the room. They were debating on how to handle this. They didn't hold any cards, there weren't any tricks up their sleeves. Their choices were few and far between. But they could be prepared or anything. There first choice was to go early scope the place out...set up a trap anything really to make it less likely for the demon to escape. Or they could just sit outside and watch for Autumn and jump her. They were all avoiding bringing up the number of victims that actually survived possession. They didn't want to think about how low the number dropped when you added forced removal of the unwanted entity.

"Dean?" Athena asked feebly. He glanced at her and she was glad the stone mask was gone from his face. He was so good at hiding his emotions when he wanted to and she wanted to see them. He was obviously worried, she knew by the crease in his forehead just like the one John always got. He fear was evident more in his eyes than anything, they were always deep, not as soulful as Sam's but deep nonetheless. Hidden in the green pools was fear, it was so similar to her own. She smiled briefly. "I have the directions. I say we go. What do we have to lose?"

"Your sister." Sam threw in. Both of his companions have him sharp looks. The sort of look that can actually make a person physically recoil. The taller Winchester stepped back.

"If we don't do something she's already lost." Athena reminded him. "I'd rather do it myself than have some demon kill her." Dean looked at her when she said that. The brothers were shocked. Athena didn't talk about killing people. Not innocent ones, though Autumn was hardly innocent but she wasn't like the people on Athena's kill list. "She wouldn't want to live like that, guys. She lived suppressed by a demon for nine years when she was with Billy-Jack. She'd rather die that live through that again. Its hard to tell what that thing has already done to her."

"Nothing, why would it hurt its body?" Sam questioned.

"Just because it isn't filling her full of bullets doesn't mean it isn't beating the tar our of her mind." She reasoned.

"Pack up." Dean ordered standing up. "One way or another I doubt we'll be staying another night. Get everything ready to leave so we just have to grab the dog. I'm going to check the weapons. Make sure we're prepared. Sam, I want you to go over that spell until you can say it in your sleep. This bitch is going to burn in hell with no chance of parole." He didn't even hesitate a second before leaving the room to go out to his Impala.

Two hours later they were wandering through the abandoned feed mill. Dean shouldered a dufflebag with everything he could think of to combat the demon. His jaw was set as he pushed thoughts of how badly this could go out of his mind. Athena stayed closer to Sam than she usually did. They were all telling themselves this was just like any other hunt. They didn't want to screw things up by worrying about Autumn but how could they not worry about her. After checking through the entire building and being satisfied that they knew it they set out creating a plan. They only got one shot at this.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I'm going to reread every fic I've written get my notes together THEN start the next one so it may be a few weeks. I hope not though. I should be writing oneshots again though. I can't begin to explain how sorry I am for making this take a year to finish writing. A lot happened this year and writing ended up taking a back burner which I hate. Hopefully things will be getting back on track soon. I don't think I can handle not writing much longer. My mind is starting to wander too far soon it will be lost forever. Read and review and I'll talk to you all soon. I promise.**

**Chapter Nine**

Autumn rocked, her arms wrapped around her legs, eyes clamped shut, sitting on the bed. She wasn't going to look at the room she was going to sit here and think. She knew if she looked at the room she'd loose all hope. That is what He wanted. OK. He planned to get the girl and go to the warehouse. That couldn't be stopped. Dean knew where they'd be. Dean knowing was a huge comfort and at the same time scared her even more. Dean would be there. He'd have Sam and Athena, maybe even more back up. It would depend on whether anyone else knew about their situation. The three people nearest and dearest to her risking their lives for hers? Having to see her die? That was something she couldn't face. She tried to focus on them winning. They had gotten out of tighter scrapes than this. This was nothing. OK. She nodded to herself as if really involved in a conversation. Autumn chewed her lip and rocked going over ever possible scenario in her head. This would have to be OK.

The demon drove them to Marti's house. It was late; her father was already in bed. Marti didn't question anything when Autumn scooped her up and told her they were going for a drive. She curled closer to her chest and fell back to sleep before they reached the car. One way or another this was the last time she'd ever be so easily kidnapped. The ride to the warehouse was long and silent. They circled several times before finding the Impala. He got out retrieving a knife from her weaponry and slashed all four tires on the sleek black car. He turned then on Scarlet flattening all the tires. He stuffed the blade up her sleeve and pulled Marti from the backseat.

He looked everything over carefully before ever taking His next step. Autumn waited for anything to stick out that would show her there was a plan. Once several feet into the building the door slammed shut behind them locking from the outside. He sat Marti down and went to check it. There was no getting out that way. Surely the other exits had been sealed as well. He swore at her and Autumn hid her amusement. He could get them out, that wouldn't be a problem, it was just that these hunters thought they were being clever. He picked the child back up; she was starting to wake up and would panic soon enough. That would draw the hunters out. He'd have to kill the girl then. Of course He'd pretend to negotiate. Offer them a chance to save her. But the truth was He wasn't allowing her to walk out alive.

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It was hard not to rush out the second Autumn walked by. But she had to get salt down on all the doors and windows. They were salting, working their way toward the demon that had their Autumn. They could box him off into one room. From there it was merely a matter of trapping the demon in an even smaller area, like a devil's trap. All three of them were purposely over-looking how difficult that would be. Athena chewed her lip wishing she had something a little less painful to chew. Dean and Sam couldn't be too far off doing the exact same thing.

It took half hour before they'd gotten them trapped into one place. Unfortunately it was the biggest open area of the building. The little girl was sobbing uncontrollably and Autumn, or rather the demon, had sat the girl down on the ground. She was ignoring her best she could though still Autumn would turn and spew a few choice phrases at the child. She'd checked and found herself salted in.

"Oh come now hunters." The demon called the sweet voice Autumn reserved for small children and teasing. "It's not nice to play games with a lady." A cruel smirk pulled at Autumn's lips.

"You're not a lady." Dean spat stepping out. Athena could see his jaw clench and moved quickly to his side. Athena looked to see if Sam was going to step out next but he didn't. She didn't have time to worry about him either. She just hoped there wasn't a problem with their plan.

"Ah that's more like it. Who do we have? The slutty sister and her pathetic little lap dog. I want you to see this, if you want to play hard ball. See I was just going to hand over the hunter and take the girl. But I like this even better." He grabbed the child by her hair tilting her head back exposing her throat. One of Autumn's favorite knives slipped out of her sleeve. It was a small wonder that she hadn't cut the girl to ribbons with it already; she wasn't known to keep dull blades. The demon pressed the cold blade against the girl's throat instantly silencing her. "This way I get to make you watch them, both die. So which one of you is going to be the hero? More importantly who are you going to save? You've got this sweet innocent little girl, who knows she may grow up and cure cancer. Or we've got your friend, how many lives is she going to save? Can you live with out her now Dean? What about you Athena, can you cut it without big sis telling you what to do? You saw what it did to your brother and daddy to lose the woman they loved. Can you survive that? Are you strong enough Dean? Can either of you live with the guilt of killing the girl?

Teenie and Dean were stuck in place. The demon was right they couldn't choose who would live and who would die. Even if it were their place it was an impossible choice. Each one of them knew what Autumn would want them to do. Kill her save the girl. Athena clenched her fists. She, for one, hadn't come this far to watch Sam's vision play out in real time. Dean cocked his Colt taking aim at Autumn. The demon was just playing with them. As soon as they'd damned the girl and Autumn he'd leave. This would at least give them some leverage.

"Dean?" Teenie asked carefully. Just a few more seconds. Where was Sam?

"Come, on Dean. Show her you have some balls. That you can do more than just take orders. Step up and be a man." The demon taunted. Teenie had to try not to look up. She knew Sam was up on the cat walk that went around the upper level of the building. There was one office up there, suspended on steel beams, which still wouldn't have made her comfortable. It was placed perfectly so that when you stepped out the office door you were right over the demon. "You can't do it can you?" Dean was only going to shoot if it would save the girl. The whole reason Autumn had come after this demon was to save this little girl.

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Autumn chewed her lip. She could have screamed. She could have thrown a fit. She could have sat here and cheered her friends on. Instead she sat still chewing her lip running over and over in her mind all the scenarios that could go down. At the moment she was halfway through one where the demon killed all four of the hunters and the girl before fleeing. Marc, Darcy, and Will would show up tomorrow having not heard from anyone all day and find them dead. The demon took pleasure in her lack of faith in her friends. He was enjoying torturing Dean.

"She always knew when it came down to it Dean, that you wouldn't be a real man. You know she'd save the girl. If it where you instead of her, she'd have shot us both. We'd be dead and she'd have the kid halfway home already." He pushed Dean. Autumn refused to look at Dean's eyes. Everything that was being said was untrue. "Her sister did it. Shot her boyfriend just to kill a monster. She could do it too."

Autumn wanted to laugh. She couldn't do it. It took both her and Athena to shoot Will and had he died it was likely they'd never have spoken again. He pressed the knife closer to the girl's throat. As she swallowed it bit into her skin and two pearls of blood ran down her soft flawless skin. If they didn't move soon all would be lost. A fluttering above them made the demon look up. A heavy canvas tarp was falling from the sky. She caught a quick glimpse of Sam and heard the gunshot as all went dark.

He tried to move. Tried to shake the tarp off but it wouldn't budge. They were stuck, couldn't move. Something was terribly wrong. The plan hadn't gone off as He'd hoped. Autumn had a brief moment of victory but was afraid to celebrate yet.

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Dean fired off a shot when the demon had tried to move out of the way. He didn't think it had struck anyone. If it had it was Autumn as anyone else would have cried out the demon wouldn't have let her. As the demon tried to find away out of the tarp the girl collapsed. She'd fainted. Athena rushed forward quickly dragging the girl out while the demon was distracted. Sam rushed down to the ground level. Athena checked the girl over there didn't seem to be any real physical damage done to her. She pressed the tail of her shirt to the girl's throat stopping the bleeding. The cut didn't look worse than a nasty scratch, but would be hard for her to explain later.

"She OK?" Sam asked as he reached them.

"She will be." Athena nodded. "Now get that damn thing out of my sister so we can take turns throttling her." Sam pulled out the page with the correct Latin on it and began the exorcism. Once the demon realized what was going on he began to try and stop them. He threatened to come back for them, Sam knew he couldn't. Dean forced himself to ignore the things the demon was shouting. He thought he could just reveal Autumn's secrets: tell lies, and twist them onto his side.

It had been Athena's idea: A portable Devil's Trap. They had spray painted it on to the canvas and then it was just a matter of getting it over the demon. Dean had to admit he was surprised it had worked. But admitting it could wait until they were out of town and he and Athena were alone making idle chitchat. He'd let it slip, she'd smile and shrug popping a sucker in her mouth. It would be a simple moment that would be forgotten as soon as Sam or Autumn walked by. A burst of black smoke that denigrated into the air told him he could pay attention to whatever came out of Autumn's mouth again.

He knelt beside the tarp and pulled it off of her. She'd done the normal screaming and begging. He wasn't shocked that she lay unmoving on the ground. But something was wrong. He looked up to Sam, green eyes meeting the soulful brown ones. Neither of them spared Athena a look. Dean placed his ear carefully on her chest afraid of what he wouldn't hear. No heart beat, she wasn't breathing either. He sat up and pounded on her chest. For the first time using the CPR training she'd insisted he get.

"Come on," he grated counting in his head as he attempted to restart her heart. "Look see if I shot her." He ordered Sam too afraid to look himself. He pinched her nose; her head tilted back and filled her lungs. "You can't die on me now Autumn." He growled at her. Two minutes seemed like an eternity. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if she were really dead. Two minutes of denial. "Damn it Autumn! I love you. You can't just die now!" He felt something wet and hot coming from his eyes stinging them. Then she coughed. Her eyes fluttered open for a second and she almost smiled before they closed.

He started to take up the CPR again but Sam took his arm trying to pull him away. "Dean...Dean she's alive. Stop." Athena threw her arms around him burying her face in his neck. He found himself hugging her back and just holding her as she cried into his neck. For a long moment the three hunters were locked into that moment battling for control of their emotions. None sure what they felt, there was an overwhelming sense of relief, but still clinging to them was the loss of those two minutes. Then the girl began to stir. Sam moved to scoop her up. "I'll dump her at the hospital. Get Autty back to the motel." Dean and Athena didn't need telling twice.

"Wait what car are you taking?" Athena asked suddenly.

"The Impala, I know where it's parked. She's not going to start screaming and attract cops when she comes to. This one will. You have time to find Scarlet." Dean nodded, that made enough sense to him. Though Sam probably could have said anything at that moment to justify taking his car and he'd have given him the keys.

It didn't take long to spot the Mustang and Autumn was slid into the backseat. Athena crawled in after her sister. Dean could hear her talking to Autumn the whole way back to the motel. She was combing her fingers through the auburn locks and whispering comforting and scolding words. John-dog was waiting for them at the motel and barely allowed Dean time to get Autumn on the bed before tackling his master licking her worriedly. Autumn woke long enough to pull the dog down next to her in a bear hug. John settled keeping as close as physically possible to Autumn while the others loaded their bags into the Mustang waiting Sam's return.

"Jen?" Dean asked cautious of the former hunter's mood.

"You better be waking me up to give me good news. Bad news could have waited until dawn at least." The native yawned. He smiled glancing back into the motel room where his girls and their dog were all piled into one bed.

"We've got her. She's fine. As soon as Sam gets back we're coming home."

"Thank God. Now call your father and Bobby and tell them. I'll go tell Will and the others they don't have to go save your asses." she ordered.

"Save our asses?" He asked. "So little faith."

"It's not a joke Winchester. Will, Marc, and Valover were leaving in a couple hours to come dig you idiots out. I'd have thought hunters trained by John would at least have a bit of common sense. Even your dog is smart enough to know you don't go out like that. I'm not sure I'm letting you ever leave this place again. You're on house arrest when you get back." She started into a rant.

"I'll have her call you when she wakes up." He promised knowing that Jen wouldn't relax and stop worrying until she'd spoken to Autumn. He hung up after that and called Bobby and his father. They were harsher with their scolding than Jen had been. Once both were sure they'd taken Dean down several pegs, even though this wasn't his fault, they demanded to know what happened. Somewhere through explaining it the second time Sam returned. He and Athena loaded Autumn into the Impala, and John into Scarlet. "Dad, I've got to go. We're taking off." He said shortly.

"Be more careful, Dean." John told him. "Things are about to get a lot worse." Without even a second's hesitation John cut the call short. Sam tossed Dean the keys.

"She's in your car, waiting. Let's get out of here." Two hours later they stopped at a motel to catch a few hours rest. Athena and Sam were in their room with John-dog who had taken some convincing to leave Autumn's side. Dean had showered and was about to climb in bed beside Autumn when she finally woke enough to say anything that made sense. Up to this point she'd mutter things that didn't string together.

"Dean?" she asked. He had already turned out the lights.

"Hey, babe." He propped himself up beside her. "How are you?" He asks resisting the urge to pull her tight against him and just hold her.

"I feel dirty and my chest hurts." She answered. There was a moment of silence. He wondered if she had heard anything he had said while she wasn't breathing. His fingers trailed to absently trace her hairline and she laid her head on his chest. "Next time I pull a stunt like this just put a bullet in my head."


End file.
